Put another way – their desire to fix the emotional problem is far greater than their desire to solve the outward obvious problem, even if it’s justified later with rational decision making. So, if you can figure out both the outward problem and their inner feelings and emotions about it, you can speak to both of these throughout your entire marketing process.

Example

As an example, let’s take a Dental practice, and let’s call their Ideal Customer Tom.

How does Tom’s problem make him feel? – Tom doesn’t want to smile, he feels unattractive, he’s deeply embarrassed and he feels a lack of self-confidence.

The Desired Outcome

Now let’s look at the success the customer wants, the transformation he desires, the OUTCOME he’s looking for. If you can’t define that, you can’t show your prospects what that outcome will look like and you can’t position your company as the solution.

It’s important here to focus on the benefits and not the features or services you offer.

For our Dentist example, to address Tom’s problem, their unique value proposition that addresses how Tom feels could be:

“Creating Perfect, Confident Smiles Since 1984”

“Your unique value proposition (UVP) is a clear statement that describes the benefit of your offer, how you solve your customer’s needs and what distinguishes you from the competition. Your unique value proposition should appear prominently on your landing page and in every marketing campaign.” —unbounce.com

In addition, it’s always a good idea to provide imagery that shows the desired outcome. In this case, smiling, confident people with beautiful smiles. Use images that show people who have already achieved the outcome – people who have successfully solved their problem.

Do you need help identifying your Ideal Client’s central problem and how it makes them feel?

Do you need help developing your unique value proposition?

Do you need help developing marketing tools to show how your product or service can solve your Ideal Client’s problem and deliver his/her desired outcome?